‘In Tamil Nadu, BJP is a keyboard warrior’
The DMK’s candidate for Chennai Central claims the BJP has digital teams that try to promote themselves as ‘larger than life’; he asks whether the Modi government at the Centre has been able to double the GDP within 10 years as the Manmohan Singh governme
MK leader and Chennai Central Lok Sabha constituency candidate Dayanidhi Maran says the clear objective of the INDIA bloc is to ensure Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not get another term and that the DMKled alliance would sweep the Lok Sabha polls winning all 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. During an interaction with board members and journalists of The Hindu in Chennai on Wednesday, he shared his thoughts on the DMK’s poll pitch, the electoral bonds issue and the “misuse” of Central investigative agencies. Excerpts:
DDo you think the BJP is a force to reckon with in Tamil Nadu?
In Tamil Nadu, the BJP is a keyboard warrior. And they have the IT teams, which try to promote themselves as larger than life. In Tamil Nadu, the last time the BJP, when they stood alone, were competing with NOTA. Now, they are able to manage some light. Probably, they [will] do better than NOTA.
What gives you the confidence that the DMK alliance will get 40/40?
Right from 2019, under the able leadership of our leader M.K. Stalin, we have been consistently winning the election and our percentage is nothing less than 52% in the poll. The same alliance does continue now. Now, we have Mr. Kamal Haasan also on our side. The Opposition alliance is now a divided front.
The AIADMK decided to part ways with the BJP fearing they will not get votes of the minorities. But, we find that wherever the BJP is contesting, the AIADMK workers are still working for BJP.
There is no impact of Mr. Modi coming over and over again to Chennai and people are able to see through it.
Do you think electoral bonds skewed the level playing field?
The DMK is the only party that never waited for the Supreme Court order to come out and said this is who our donors are. But if you see the BJP, it got ₹8,500 crore (numbers are yet to be finalised); a company which has got ₹1 lakh turnover is giving [the BJP] ₹100 crore, a company which is closed down, is giving ₹100 crore. The names of companies are so weird. That means there are bigger companies behind. They’re using some other company names to give. Those who are getting raided are giving the money. So, it is very, very clear you are misusing the official machinery like the ED, the CBI to benefit.
So the INDIA bloc’s campaign in the rest of the country has been more on the secularism plank. So what percentage of your campaign is on secularism?
DMK is 100% for secularism from day one. This is the foundation of the DMK. In fact, people who are joining the INDIA alliance are for secularism. Otherwise, they will be part of BJP. Nitish Kumar jumped to BJP because he did not want to be secular. We are committed to secularism.
Do you think in the delimitation based on the next Census, the southern States might lose out?
We need wider consultation. It is not in favour of us. It is not in favour of the southern States.
You said your bloc’s main agenda is to oppose Modi from coming back to power. Do you have an alternative economic agenda which you can sell to the masses?
What did the Modi government achieve in the past 10 years? When Dr. Manmohan Singh took over the reins in 2004, the GDP was ₹50 lakh crore. When Singh demitted office in 2014, it was ₹100 lakh crore.
So when Modi took over it was ₹100 lakh crore but in 2024 how much should it be? It should have been ₹200 lakh crore but is only ₹167 lakh crore. So, has the BJP or Modi performed extremely well economically? Or did Nirmala Sitharaman deliver?
Your allies are facing the heat over Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comments on Sanatana Dharma...
What Udhayanidhi spoke is nothing new in Tamil Nadu. Periyar spoke, Anna spoke, Kalaignar spoke, Mr. Stalin spoke and even I have spoken. And what are we saying? Equality. Is equality wrong? They won’t address this part. Unfortunately in our country, the courts also tend to sway towards the BJP. But, let me tell you something, equality can be never be denied.
In cities and larger towns, this election, seems more like an election on which local issues seem to matter. People are talking about congestion, flooding, availability of water...
What my leader has advised us when we go for elections is: There’s no differentiation to your role as a councillor, as an MLA, as an MP. People demand everything from any elected person and that’s what we are supposed to do.